by George and Becky Lohmiller

At one time, most lawns had at least some clover growing in them, and many were almost entirely clover. Today, many lawn enthusiasts are trying to limit the use of pesticides and are again turning to clover.

Benefits of Clover

White clover (Trifolium repens) is a rapid spreader that crowds out broadleaf weeds while it grows harmoniously with grass. It will thrive in areas that are poorly drained or too shady for a conventional lawn.

Being a legume, clover has the ability to convert nitrogen into fertilizer using bacteria in it's root system, practically eliminating the need for additional fertilization.

It is an extremely drought-resistant plant and will keep its cool-green color even during the hottest and driest parts of summer.

Left uncut, white clover grows 4-8 inches tall and produces small white flowers that are often tinged with pink. The flowers not only create a beautiful visual effect, but also bring in bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects that prey on garden pests.

Honeybees rarely sting when they are away from their hive, but if they make you uncomfortable or you are allergic to bee stings, simply have the lawn mowed more often when clover is in bloom.

Planting Clover

You can plant clover by itself for a ground cover, but it stands up better to foot traffic when combined with lawn grass.

Only 5-10% by weight of tiny clover seed needs to be mixed with the recommended amount of grass seed to create a thick stand.

When adding clover to an existing lawn, first mow it close and remove any thatch to allow the seed to fall to the soil surface.

To sow clover alone, mix it with enough sand to facilitate spreading. About 2 ounces of clover is needed for every 1,000 square feet of lawn.

Finding a four-leaf clover is considered good luck. Surely it must be, because on average there is only one of them for every 10,000 clovers with three leaves. But even if you never find a four-leaf specimen, just having clover growing in your lawn will keep it greener longer with minimum care, which we consider to be extremely good luck.

By JJ123

I planted the micro clover , it has small buds unevenly spread, we layed it down with top soil, we are going to plant more around the yard to even it out . we were wondering, when can we mow our lawn with out damaging the new clover?,also we ordered crimson clover for around our flower beds, I hope it is not poisonous to our cats ?

By JaimeGS

Good afternoon!
I live in Alberta and my husband and I just moved into our first home. The lawn was in rough shape and I am a naturalist so we decided that clover would be a good choice for our bumpy, patchy, weed filled lawn. I bought 2,000 sq feet worth of dutch white clover seed, mowed the lawn, and racked to get dead grass out and move the soil a little. I scattered the seed all over the lawn (and used the whole bag before I got the whole lawn as I wouldn't mind the wait for it to spread). It looks like in one shady area the clover is in full effect with beautiful tiny white blossoms. Everywhere else is still just grass and weeds. I planted one week ago and it has been a rainy week and I have also been watering lightly in the morning and evening when needed to keep it from drying out.
What appears to be wild grass has sprung up absolutely everywhere...
Do you have any thoughts as to what might have happened? Does clover look like wild grass while it is in the process of establishing itself?

By DC22

Does clover spread faster if the flowers are cut?

What happens to a clover lawn if all of the flowers are cut? Will it continue to spread through its roots, or begin to die off?

I have a nice patch of white clover that has taken over about one third of what was a very weed infested and extremely neglected lawn. Vetch was, and still is, a problem. Cutiing vetch at the ground level doesn't stop it from coming back, but it does slow it down. I am encouraging the clover to grow over areas that were formerly infested with vetch. I still need to pick the vetch, but not nearly as much as the clover seems to keep it in check. Will clover eventually crowd out most, if not all, to the vetch?

By Boots04220

I filled in a low area with some loam from the neighbors field. I never put seed or hay down and the following year the entire area filled with clover. that was 3 years ago and now the grass is 3 feet tall and clover is getting more sparse, like less than 50 percent. I don't know how to keep my clover from being drowned out. I don't know if I should mow it at like 6 inches or weed wack the grass or put alot of ash from the wood stove over it?

By Maribeth Picotte

Does clover stay green all year? I live in NC and have zero topsoil - need something that will grow quickly on clay (after I plant the annual rye). I like the low maintenance of clover but want something that will stay green.

By Aliki

We planted clover with our fescue this year and it has come up beautifully and we have a lush green lawn. However, the closer has not flowers. does it take a year before they bloom or is this a variety that may not bloom?

If you mow, the clover won't flower as much. Also, if you were using microclover (small white clover), it produces fewer flower heads compared to normal clover types. It all depends what you want. Clover flowers mean bees in the grass. If you seek pollinators, this is a good thing. If it's a lawn for playtime and you don't want to be stung, that might be a different story.

By Mrs.Wellman

I'm wanting to replace my lawn with clover for various reasons like low water and low maintenance. Do I need to plant some grass with it or is it ok to plant on it's own? Also if I seed it over the current law which is full of crab grass and weeds, will it eventually crowd out the unwanted weeds and crab grass or is it better to just rip tout the existing "lawn" and start over?

Yes, clover chokes out weeds fairly quickly. Clover is usually blended with lawn seed and will help the lawn, too: its deep root system reduces soil compaction and it naturally fertilizes the soil with nitrogen.

By SueL

I am anti herbicide, pesticide and synthetic fertilizer so my at Augustine grass in south Florida was way too much work. Took the grass out n seeded one section last week with white Dutch clover. I am watering daily and I see some teeny tiny clover but not everywhere. I def over seeded n I'm concerned south Florida isn't the place for it. I was aware it would prob need irrigation here. How long before I'll know if it is a viable option here. I did not mix with sand. That was not mentioned by the seed co I purchased from. Help! I don't want to put in st August sod!

Dutch clover germinates in 7 to 10 days. If you have bare spots after 10 days sprinkle some more seeds on those spots. The clover grows best with temps. between 50 and 85 degrees F but will tolerate hot and dry conditions after it is established.

By Jennifer A

I planted an all Dutch white clover lawn and mowed it for the first time today!!! While it is beautiful and green, I worry about its durability. I have a 70lbs dog who has not been allowed on the clover lawn yet. Do you think it will be durable enough for her to play on? Or should I over seed with grass seed? If so is there a wild grass seed that would work well in Northern California? Thank You for your time!!

The clover lawn is not going to be durable enough for a 70 lb dog. Adding some grass seed would help. Centipede grass is slow growing and low maintanance. It will grow well in Northern California. Perennial rye grass is another option.

By Lois Todd

we have a very shaded around-a-bout in the back..it consists of dirt and moss..mostly dirt..mowing is a dust mess..also in the very front..which gets quite a bit of sun..that won't grow grass..I've been researching what would work in this area..Moss has been one that is recommended For the shaded area ..but can only handle so much travel on it. My question is what type of clover would you recommend. Appreciate any input..Ty so much.

By lucy wallender

Ok - I realize you may not be able to answer me - I'm 68 - work full time - live in a trailer park - have a very small yard and have an Irish Wolfhound! When I bought this place the yard was a patchy mess. Have a huge maple tree in the small back yard. Planted sun/shade lawn seed early last Fall. Came up wonderful - had a very cold winter with not much snow cover and most of it died!!! I can get evicted if I don't have a nice looking yard. Researched clover & should have mixed it with my grass seed!!!! Question is can I just spread it in the patches and in area all new grass died?

Hi, Lucy: You can indeed spread it by itself in the bare spots, but it's really advisable to start from scratch -- literally. Scratch up and rake your whole yard to get it as clean and ready as possible. Then either mix with grass seed (ask your garden center for a different type, we would suggest) or mix with a little sand to facilitate spreading. Clover is a good choice -- you'll be fine!

By BethanyJ

Hi,
I really want to plant clover/grass mix in my back yard (I live in NC). My concern is that the back yard seems to have some drainage issues, although I think a big part of why grass has never done well is because of all the large trees we have and that our soil is very sandy. From what I've read, clover will still grow well with a lot of trees and in sandy soil, but would the poor drainage potentially keep it from growing well? Also, I have three dogs and a 6 year old who are in and out of the back yard a lot; would I have to keep them off the lawn for a couple of weeks while the seeds are germinating?
Thanks!

Hi, Bethany: One of the great things about clover is that there is always a type that will grow under just about any condition(s), including shade and sand. You should experiment. Get some white clover seed, plus seed from two other types recommended to you by your local nursery or the NC extension service. Then set up a couple of 3x9 test plots (three 3x3 test areas for the 3 types) in different spots in your yard. Keep the tramplers off them and see what comes in best. Then plant according to directions, and you'll have clover all over!

By LauraTee

I am strongly considering seeding a Micro-clover/grass mix. I've been trying to find out about how durable it is however. We play fetch with our dog everyday and I was wondering how well it will stand up to her running. I'm sure no lawn will be perfectly durable but is a micro clover mix a good option for us? Or something different? Also I heard that clover is invasive. Will it take over garden beds that are not guarded by a mow strip?

By Raquel T.

I have several questions. I live in Las Vegas and I went to a dog park that had a lush green lawn but it wasn't grass. I did my research and a clover lawn is what I found. So I know it can grow and thrive in this desert weather. I want to plant this in my backyard which I have an area that is just dirt, almost clay like. My first question is how would I plant this type of lawn with this hard dirt? The dog park lawn didn't look like it had any grass with it and looks as if it has never been mowed and it was real compact and low. Which clover is this? Thanks!

Hi, Raquel: Well, the odds are that you may have a challenge on your hands, but you can still come out a winner. If you have really hard-packed dirt, you are going to have to scratch it up really well with a gravel (not leaf) rake to give your seeds some "purchase." Use a broadcast seed spreader and then be prepared to protect your seeds (from birds, mainly) with a light cover of straw until they sprout. The lowest-growing, most compact clover is wild white, but others might do the trick, too. The thing to do is ask your local garden center for more specific advice.

By jennifer mcmican

I used dutch white clover seed mixed in with my existing (I use the term loosely) lawn and just thought I'd mention that it isn't completely resistant to dog urine burn, the main reason I planted it. My question is, does clover need to go to seed to come back in the spring? While mine is growing well, I worry that its not growing fast enough for flowers to develop.

By Elizabeth Harwood

By Sebastian Casteon

Honey bees will bother you. I used to extremely afraid of bees on general, but after talking to a beekeeper and botanist and they explained that bees really only attack if absolutely necessary. They will usually just *head bump* you if you get annoying. ONce I learned that little fact, I am all good around their kind.

Also, the heck with yellow jackets, they are not bees and need to die a fiery horrible death. They are jerks in the insect world

By Charles Rothera

we want to grow clover that will be used by our local wildlife rehab center. We'll need bags of it on a regular basis. Any suggestions as to harvesting it without ruining the plot or making the harvest unusable?

By Lisa Westman

hi,
Would white clover do well for over-seeding a Phoenix summer lawn combined with Bermuda do you think? We have full sun and shade areas and the Bermuda does really poorly in the shade, the fescue we tried didn't do well in shade either-maybe it was the heat. I was hoping to fill the bald spots in full sun and the shade spots with clover...thanks!
Lisa in Phoenix, AZ

White clover can do well in Phoenix lawns with the proper care. White clover has shallow roots, but does better in lawns than other types of clover, such as strawberry or red; it needs moisture when germinating but after that it can handle drier conditions.

White clover alone is good for low to moderate foot traffic. When mixed with grass seed, it can be used in high-traffic areas and can also tolerate drought better than when alone. You can seed the clover into an existing lawn or sow in bare spots; the clover will not need fertilizer.

By Lisa Westman

By olderpersonage

Three young men lived in the house before I bought it. They did not water the lawn, so consists of clumps of grass interspersed with bare ground and weeds. It is impossible to mow. I am hoping to put it all in clover except for a flower bed. I hate mowing and get asthmatic from the grass. My parents had clover and they didn't worry about mowing because it doesn't get as tall as grass. I want that.

By Bama Belle

Just a note to say:I live in the south and had a problem with grass not growing under my trees so, I planted white clover under my trees and was very pleased with the coverage!!! Hey no mowing that is even better.

By EdLincoln

By Jonalisa

One of the benefits of white clover is that it doesn't turn yellow or burn when a female dog urinates on it. I have not found any info indicating that white clover is unsafe for animals. I am overseeding my lawn with it in the spring.

Hi Ives, Everyday clover is not listed as being poisonous to dogs on the ASPCA site. http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/Plants?plant_toxicity=toxic-to-dogs&page=6
On vet sites, we see that "red clover" can both help certain medical conditions but also is unfriendly and possibly toxic in large quantities. Perhaps it's OK if your dog doesn't start ingesting lots of clover and simply plays (and pees) in it. To be safest, for your particular dog and its medical condition, we’d recommend that you ask your vet. Or, just not plant clover.
And of course, stay away from pesticides if the dog eats plants in the lawn.